Mailbag: Who Could Be A Mistake Pick In The First Round?

Tuesday, April 23, 2013 6:00 AM CDT

SHANE ELLIOTTCHAPEL HILL, NCWhat mistake might you be most afraid of the Cowboys making in the first round? For example, could you see them reaching for an Eric Reid if all other options are off the table?

Bryan: I am not a huge fan of defensive end Bjoern Werner of Florida State and I could be dead wrong about him, but he scares me. I don’t see a player that is always winning on his first step and if he doesn’t do that, then he is done. If that board appears to be wiped out, I look at Tyler Eifert or Tavon Austin if they are there. I understand what you are saying about Reid, and with depth at safety I might go the other way and take Sylvester Williams instead.

David: I’d be worried, as I know a lot of Cowboys fans are, that the team will try to make a splash, which is a pretty hard thing to do with the 18th pick -- unless you get lucky. If the home run picks, like Chance Warmack and Jonathan Cooper, are gone, I think it’d be more likely to see Dallas trade back and acquire someone like Reid late in the first rather than reach for him. My worry is the Cowboys snagging a flashy name like Tavon Austin or Cordarrelle Patterson at 18, because he’s the “best player available.” A top-notch wide receiver would probably be a lot of fun to watch, but the more boring needs like offensive and defensive line are so much more pressing.

LARRY BRANCHMIDLOTHIAN, VA

Hey guys, every year we have a pre-draft press conference. My question is why do we do this to let every team in the league know who we are targeting?

Bryan: What? If you could have told from that press conference who they were going to take you had to be a mind reader. The general manager said he believed that the offensive linemen would all be gone but we have had that feeling for the last month. I learned two things from that, they haven’t talked to Doug Free about his situation and the three technique is pretty important in this defense.

David:Well, to put it simply, they have to. The NFL requires all 32 teams hold a press conference in the lead up to the draft. Jerry Jones even made a joke about it before yesterday’s media session began, noting how it’s mandatory. Jones also made the point

that while reporters were allowed to ask whatever they wanted, everyone in the room knew the answers wouldn’t be very specific. If you go back and listen, that’s exactly what happened.